Vanity
by lucelafonde
Summary: Reaver is a very vain man. Lionel doesn't mind. In fact, he thinks it's quite intriguing. Prince/Reaver


Reaver was a very vain man. That was not a question. He gladly admitted it, IF anyone ever dared to mention it. Usually, as one might have guessed, this didn't happen all that often. Be that as it may, there was ONE person, who never understood what all the fuss about his arrogance was about anyway.

"I'm not sure I like how much time you've been spending lately with Reaver", Page said warily and eyed the now-King staring out the window with a suspicious glare.

"Then I really don't want to have your mind, if you can't even figure out an opinion as simple to be made as this one", King Lionel Lionheart answered without really paying attention.

"Somehow I figured you'd say something like this", Page sighed. "Anything but answering an unspoken question, as always."

"In this case it seems like there's nothing left for me to say but this: If you already knew that you wouldn't get anything close to a satisfying response if you didn't ask for one directly... Why didn't you ask for it right away?", Lionel said, still not looking at her, thoughts someplace else. He wasn't angry, not even mad. Frankly, he didn't care. He was King now. He had problems and issues to deal with every day that made this conversation look like a nice chat at brunch.

"I don't know", Page said quietly after a moment. "I can't explain it. There's something... so... YOU about you..."

"Thank you ever so much", he said sarcastically and snorted.

"That's not how I meant it and you know it", she said with a reprehensive tone to her voice. "Stop sulking. It makes you look like a five-year-old."

"I know. That's why I'm doing it."

"Figures."

"You were saying?", Lionel sighed and kept staring out of the window. Page really hoped there was a reason to this strange behaviour, otherwise she'd feel insulted.

"You just have an air of... power? around you that makes it hard to... speak freely about unpleasant things, I guess."

"Like I'd actually throw you in the dungeon for uttering your opinion", Lionel giggled. "You know it's currently being re-decorated. I couldn't put anyone down there, even if I wanted to."

"How... very reassuring, thank you, Your Majesty", Page said, uncertain whether this was a joke or him being dead-serious. You could never tell. Lionel was very... unstable at times.

"I faintly recall you saying something earlier", he mused after a few minutes of silence had passed. "About Reaver, if my mind isn't playing tricks on me."

"Your mind's working just fine", she assured him and took a deep breath. "Lately I've been noticing a bit of... hesitation on your side whenever I suggested something that would benefit the city. I couldn't help but wonder whether this might be because of my opponent..."

"Continue. I'm listening", Lionel said, straightening.

"I know you'd never do anything to harm the city, of course, but..."

"But?", the King asked with a sharp edge to his otherwise calm and comforting voice. Page immediately felt that she'd crossed a line there. And it was too late to retreat. Lionel had a memory like thousands of artists were sitting in his head, chiselling everything he ever encountered into cold ivory.

"Is it because of the money?", she finally asked after taking a deep breath. "Or is it because of the person?"

For a long time, Lionel did absolutely nothing. Page would have sworn any oath that he didn't even breath. Then, just when she thought he'd never move again, he turned around, nailing her to the wall with his usually warm and welcoming eyes.

"Are you...", he said slowly, approaching carefully like a panther right before the attack. "suggesting that I'm thinking about treason here? For it can't be anything else if the King himself willingly chooses to do something that would harm his country for his own benefit's sake." Page swallowed hard. She should have known that this was a bad topic. There was nothing more important to Lionel than his country, that much she knew. On second thought, she couldn't even explain why she'd started the whole thing to begin with.

"Please don't be mad", she said apologetically and her features softened. "I was merely wondering, nothing more. And of course I know you'd never have agreed on any of his wild ideas."

"Then why are we talking about this?", Lionel asked, still watching her very closely, sucking in every little movement.

"Because the weather hasn't changed in days?", she tried to loosen up the air a bit.

"You're not really suggesting that you're occupying the King for hours just because you're bored, right?", he asked, finally relaxing his shoulders a bit and letting go of the gun he didn't even know he was clinging to at his waistband.

"Something like that", Page smiled and turned around. "But I'm gonna get going now. I see I've been keeping you to myself for too long already. You have other fans to attend to, I'm sure."

With that she left and Lionel kept staring at where she'd been standing for a few more seconds before he went back and looked out the window again, watching what he'd been watching this whole time: his brother's sculpture.

"I cannot possibly imagine ANY reason on this blessed earth for you to be here at this kind of hour", he said upon opening the door. "Or any other hour, minute or second for that matter."

"And I cannot possibly imagine ANY reason in this beautiful universe for you to not let me in at this kind of hour", Lionel answered and stepped in. "Or any other hour, minute or second for that matter." He stopped and turned to look at the other man. "Though... Especially at this kind of hour, I guess."

"Touché", Reaver smiled and closed the door behind his unexpected guest. "I have to admit... I'm quite intrigued as to the why-abouts of your little midnightish visit."

"I'm sure", Lionel said eye-rolling and sat on the bed in front of him. Reaver followed his movements with huge interest. When it became clear that the King wouldn't leave all that soon, his eyebrows shot up in surprise and he couldn't help a little giggle escaping his throat. Oooh, they all came back. Even a great monarch like him, or so it seemed.

"Excuse my poor hospitality", the owner of this mansion said. "But I have to admit that I honestly didn't think I'd be seeing anyone tonight. I was planning on spending some quality time on and for myself for once, but it seems my plans have been... altered... by some higher power..."

With each word his eyes grew darker and at the end of his little speech his tongue shot out and licked his lips slowly in eager expectation. Lionel watched the change in Reaver's behaviour with great caution, but he'd been lying if he'd said that he hadn't been expecting this. It WAS the middle of the night after all, and the man before him had complimented his looks and general being on more than one occasion. Nonetheless, that was NOT why he was here, even though his previous behaviour might have implied otherwise.

"I want a sculpture", Lionel finally blurted out when he felt he couldn't stand the mischievous glance in Reaver's eyes any second longer.

He was very still for a very short moment. He barely paused for a second before he was in motion again, that smug grin on his face once more.

"Ah...", he made in dawning realization. "I see. So the vice of fainting beauty has conquered another pure soul at last. I can't say I'm surprised, really. A tad disappointed, maybe. But not surprised."

"You can't possibly blame me for wanting to capture my looks like they are at the moment", Lionel said defensively. "Not you."

"Not me?", Reaver laughed, cold and bitter. "Everyone else, but not me? You are oh-so-right. Who am I to judge, really? After all: Is there anyone more vain than me? Quite unimaginable, even for an open mind like mine."

"Are you mad?", he asked carefully, standing up and getting closer to the man in front of him. "Or just too arrogant to share eternal beauty?" Reaver looked him straight in the eyes.

"You have NO idea what eternal beauty really means", he said after a moment and turned to leave.

"Than show me!", Lionel demanded and took another step forward, quickly putting his hand on the cheek of the dark-haired half-god, forcing him to meet his gaze. Reaver's hand snapped up and grabbed Lionel's, but he didn't push it away like both of them expected. Instead he just held it there like that, motionless.

"You're asking to learn the rules of a very dangerous game here", he finally said, still not moving an inch. "And I'm not sure I want you to be able to play it."

"Then at least let me watch you doing so!", the King begged with voice and soul.

"That would not only be incredibly irresponsible of me, but also unbelievably cruel", he explained, letting go of the hand on his cheek and instead rubbing his ever-so-heavy eyes.

"And since when exactly does that bother you?", Lionel asked with a smug air to his voice.

"Longer than I care to remember", the immortal one sighed and met his gaze again. „I can't let you be a part of this."

"Why not?", the King sulked and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Because you are as beautiful on the inside as you are in the out", he smiled sadly. „Your pure little heart couldn't take a dark path like mine. While I must strongly agree that it's an affront to nature not to cherish a beauty like yours forever, I must at least just as strongly keep you away from anything that could stain your best feature: your soul. I could never forgive myself if something was to happen to it."

"What did you do?", Lionel asked quietly and relaxed his arms again, watching the other man closely as he struggled for words.

"I did something that insulted Avo himself, let's leave it at that", he simply said and looked away again.

"So did I. Several times, really. But .?", he asked again, this time with more force to his voice.

"I sold my soul to preserve my beauty, it's really as simple as that", he said angrily and turned to him with a furious look in his eyes.

"And you regret it?", Lionel said unimpressed. There had been rumours, of course. He wasn't in the least surprised.

"No", Reaver answered truthfully. "But you will."

"I never said I wanted to sell my soul to preserve my beauty", the King reminded him. "I only said I wanted a sculpture, is all. Why do you always have to over-dramatize things?"

"An alcoholic starts with one sip", he said and sat down on the bed.

"I'm afraid I've already had more than my fair share of sips", Lionel laughed and sat down beside him. "Too late for a lecture now, what?"

"It's fascinating how you always manage to get the simplest things so wrong", Reaver said slowly shaking his head.

"Thank you. It's a gift", the blond monarch explained dead-serious.

"I'm sure."

"What's so wrong about being vain anyway?", he asked after a while. "Why is it alright to be smug about one's intelligence, in which case you'll be admired by everyone and in the worst case MAYBE - if you act the part - being called a jerk, but the second you're cherishing your outside qualities you're being frowned upon and called arrogant or shallow? Why is being smart better than being beautiful? After all, where would we be without beauty? Imagine the drabness of the world without it!"

"A very dreadful picture indeed", Reaver shuddered and examined the boy – because he was merely more than that – with huge interest once again. Maybe there WAS more to him after all. He'd always seen the new King as the type to go for brains, but it seemed like he'd been embarrassingly wrong. Also, he'd always seen him as the type to go for girls, but there you have it.

"Being beautiful is just as important as being smart", Lionel explained and leaned in closer. "And if someone happens to be both... All the better..."

"Don't flatter yourself", Reaver murmured and mirrored his movements.

"Actually I was talking about you", he said and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"That's alright then", the half-god giggled and closed the last inches between them.

When they parted a few minutes later, Lionel shot an uncharacteristically shy look at the other man from beneath his eyelashes.

"Oh dear", he said. "This might just complicate things a bit." Reaver had that smug smile on his face again and leaned pleasurably back on his bed. He stretched slowly and closed his eyes.

"So what?", he finally laughed. "It's not like either of us wasn't used to 'complicated'."

"Yeah", Lionel agreed bitterly. "I'd be smug too, if I were you. But sadly, I'm me, and as the me I currently am, I'll have to keep my country from any corruption. ESPECIALLY on my side."

"Aww, that's cute", he said with a mocking purr. "Is it really so hard to withstand my – admittedly – outstanding charms?" The blond one grabbed a pillow and throw it in Reaver's face.

"Hey!", he screeched and grabbed the other by the arm and pulled him down on the mattress with him. They struggled for a bit and finally lay down heavily breathing beside each other.

"Who'd have guessed?", the bed's owner finally gasped. "Looks like our great King's a bit immature."

"Says the immortal, already ancient, geezer", Lionel snorted and climbed on top of him. He got a hold of his hands before Reaver could force him to move off him.

"That makes you a very perverted brat, I guess", he said and finally stopped struggling from beneath said brat.

"I can't recall denying that", he smiled and leaned down a bit. "Considering what this place looks like though, you probably shouldn't get too cocky about this." He demonstratively let his eyes wander around the room stuffed with instruments of torture, supposedly causing some kind of pleasure in their owner. As far as Lionel was concerned, he had all the action he needed on the battlefield. He didn't exactly yearn for it in the bedroom, too.

"I'm pretty sure I don't use most of the stuff the way you think I do", he said defensively and a curious look sneaked into his eyes. "But I could alter their purpose a bit, IF you're up to adventure..."

"I'll think about it", the hero promised and got his face even closer to Reaver's. "But let's not waste time on your shady toys, shall we? For the moment, I'm quite content with the stuff I got."

"Oh?", he asked in mild surprise. The boy really had it in him. Who'd have guessed?

"Yeah", he whispered. "Though I could be wrong, of course."

"PARDON me?", the immortal vanity beneath him said a bit louder than intended.

"Let's find out", Lionel chuckled and pressed their lips together.

* * *

><p>Something MIGHT follow from here. I don't know yet. Reviews highly appreciated.<p>

Before you say anything though: Yes, I really DID intend on writing like this. In my head, Stephen talks just like that. And my Prince/King is a brat. Like me.


End file.
